What I’m Teaching My Teenager About Work
At the beginning of December, I clocked out of my job of 6.5 years for the last time. I quit my stable, benefited job during a global pandemic in order to chase my dreams of becoming a location independent entrepreneur. I did this despite the fact that I am still a single mother with a teenage son and five furry pets.
I believe that life is too short to work forever in a job that doesn’t bring you joy. My last job brought me many things, but very rarely joy. The 40 hour/5 day work week was created during the Industrial Age, when Americans were creating new systems and technologies that required such dedication.
One thing this pandemic, and its many lockdowns/shutdowns, have taught me is that we are moving towards a more Entrepreneurial time — not just in our country, but in the world. Working from home became much more common over the last year, unless you were an “essential” employee. Zoom meetings, baby showers, birthday parties, classes, etc., were a key component in both staying social and keeping in touch with your boss, coworkers, kids’ teachers, friends, and family.
My son, who is 17, recently got his first job at a fast food restaurant. In less than a week, he knew that he hated it. My advice? Quit. I don’t want my son associating the word “work” with misery, frustration, and physical pain.
Is there value in hard work? Absolutely. However, I wish I had been taught as a teenager that it’s actually possible to find a job that you enjoy. I wish I had been taught that you should chase your dreams. I wish I had been taught that you don’t have to break your body down in order to earn a living.
Instead, the message I received from my mother and teachers was you have to work long and you have to work hard (physically) in order to make money. You have to sacrifice your dreams in order to keep a roof over your child(ren)’s head(s). Joy, bliss, and satisfaction aren’t relavent to your time at work.
What would happen if we taught our children that it’s OK to dream? What if we said it’s OK to quit that job that you hate, especially if you know in your gut right from the start that it is just not the job for you? What if we flipped the script, and taught our kids to actually explore their interests and wildest fantasies?
Here is what I hope to teach my son about “work,” or having a “job.” There is no limit to the possibilities of what you can do to earn an income. Follow your interests and your passions, and you will likely find a job that doesn’t feel like work most days.
Are you interested in video games? Great! There are so many jobs that already exist or have yet to be created in the gaming industry. You could code games, write storylines, design the art concepts, compose music, write and/or record dialogue, and so much more. I’ll bet there is even a market out there for people who coach others on tips and tricks to beat complicated games.
Maybe music is more your thing. OK. Could you master a specific instrument, then play in a band or an orchestra? Could you write jingles for ads? Could you write songs, then sell them to popular musicians? Yes! All of those jobs exist in the music industry, and so much more!
Is my son really going to regret quitting his first job at a fast food restaurant after working there less than a month? I doubt it. However, I speak from experience when I say he would probably regret working at a job for months or years that makes him feel stressed and anxious. He would probably regret potentially developing an ulcer or some other health issue from working with coworkers and supervisors who expect more out of him than they are willing to give him in return.
My son may work a dozen jobs before he finds his “thing.” He may only work three. He may work low paying jobs, and jobs that pay more than most 17 year olds make. The point is that he try out different jobs, volunteer positions, or even hobbies, until he finds something that lights him up so much he wants to do it for a living. He may even find multiple things he enjoys getting paid to do, which is totally OK, too.
